Camera RAW conversion
Convert CR3 to HEIF
Updated Jul 2026
CR3 is Canon's raw photo format, and HEIF is the compact image format Apple devices use for photos. To convert CR3 to HEIF, open the raw file in a converter, choose HEIF, and export a finished image at a fraction of the size. Doing this on your own computer means the raw file never leaves your machine.
- Extension
- .cr3
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Newer Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .heif
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Apple devices
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert CR3 to HEIF on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert CR3 to HEIF
- Open Morphjet and drag in the CR3 photos you want to convert. Add one file or an entire folder straight from your camera's memory card.
- Choose HEIF as the output format.
- Convert. The HEIF images are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
CR3 vs HEIF: what actually changes
| CR3 | HEIF | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, tens of megabytes per photo | Much smaller, often a tenth the size |
| Quality | Lossless, full sensor data | Lossy, a finished image with a one-time compression |
| Editing latitude | Full raw editing (exposure, white balance, color) | Limited, already a rendered image |
| Opens everywhere | Needs Canon software or a RAW-aware app | Native on iPhone, iPad, and Mac; limited elsewhere |
| Keeps camera metadata (EXIF) | Yes, full camera data | Yes, unless you strip it |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert CR3 to HEIF when you want to bring Canon photos into your iPhone or Mac photo library, back them up to iCloud, or just free up space, since HEIF holds a good-looking image in a much smaller file.
Keep the CR3 original if you plan to edit exposure, white balance, or color later, because converting to HEIF bakes in a fixed rendering and throws away the raw sensor data you'd need for real edits.
Why not just use an online converter?
CR3 files carry the camera's full EXIF data, including the exact date, camera settings, and on some Canon bodies, GPS location if geotagging was turned on. Send that raw file to an online converter and all of it, photo and metadata, ends up on a server you don't control. Converting on your own computer keeps the raw file, and everything logged inside it, on your machine.
Questions
Does converting CR3 to HEIF lose quality?
Yes, in the sense that raw sensor data becomes a finished, compressed image. Your camera or its own software has to make that same call whenever it renders a raw file for viewing, and HEIF does it efficiently, so the result looks very good, but it's no longer editable raw data.
Will the HEIF file keep the photo's date, camera settings, and location?
Yes. The EXIF data stored in the CR3 carries over to the HEIF unless you deliberately strip it during conversion.
Can I convert CR3 to HEIF without uploading my photos?
Yes. Morphjet converts on your own computer, so the raw files never touch the internet. You could even do it with your wifi off.
Will HEIF photos from my Canon camera open on Windows?
Windows can open HEIF, but often needs an extra codec installed first, while iPhone, iPad, and Mac open it natively. If you need guaranteed compatibility on Windows, converting to JPG instead is safer.
Can I still edit a HEIF the way I'd edit a CR3 raw file?
Not in the same way. HEIF is a finished image, so you can make basic adjustments, but you lose the wide exposure and white balance latitude that raw sensor data gives you. If you need full editing flexibility later, keep the CR3.
Morphjet converts CR3, HEIF, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.